Robert Lacey is a British historian and author of a number of international bestsellers. His first works were historical biographies of Robert, Earl of Essex and Sir Walter Ralegh. In 1977, he wrote “Majesty,” a biography of Queen Elizabeth II marking her 25th year on the throne. His next book was “The Kingdom” a history of Saudi Arabia published in 1981. It is required reading for businessmen, diplomats and students who are interested in the country. His other books include biographies of the gangster Meyer Lansky and of Princess Grace of Monaco plus a study of Sotheby’s. In 2002, the Golden Jubilee Year of Queen Elizabeth II, he published “Royal” (“Monarch” in America).
As a historian, why are you interested in monarchies?
I have always been interested in the British monarchy and by extension, monarchies in other countries. Not many people realize that a number of the most efficient and modern countries have constitutional monarchies — Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Japan. I am struck by the paradox — monarchy is supposed to be something from the past but here are these monarchies surviving by providing a new function which we might call anthropological or spiritual in terms of embodying the spirits and values of their societies.
Why did you decide to write a book about Saudi Arabia?
After my success with “Majesty,” my publisher asked me what I was going to write next. I was looking around and somebody happened to tell me the story of Abdul Aziz Al-Saud which I had never heard before. Only a few people in the West were familiar with his story. I was drawn by the dedication of this man with all his followers building a nation. I also was interested to learn about his religious faith and the role of his faith in creating a new nation. I wrote the book during the middle of the first world energy crisis so the story had great relevance because people were very frightened by the prospect of Arabs becoming rich and powerful. That is something else I am interested in: What makes people afraid? I wanted to live in Saudi Arabia and get a real feeling for the people and the place so in 1979, I brought my wife, Sandi, and daughter, Scarlett who was 7 at the time, to the Kingdom. That changed people’s attitudes toward me and what I was trying to do because they felt that I had made a certain commitment. And that feeling made it easier for me to talk to — and get to know — all kinds of Saudis. I traveled around to meet people and gather information. I went to Riyadh and the Eastern Province, to the areas north of Riyadh where the Ikhwan settled, to Abha, to Madain Saleh and I saw Madinah from a distance when we camped in the desert.
Many writers have written books and articles about Saudi Arabia. Why do you think yours was such a big success?
“The Kingdom” is the story of the House of Saud, a dynasty that fought its way from poverty and obscurity to real wealth and power. It is a family characterized by fierce loyalty among its members, ruthlessness toward its enemies, and dedication to one of the world’s most unyielding and demanding creeds. I was able to write about these things and they were things that people wanted to learn about.
Also, I think I have a natural sympathy with monarchy and a great respect for tradition. My first instinct when I encounter tradition is to respect it even if I don’t agree with it. I think that may be a difference between me and other writers. I don’t compare Saudi Arabia with the West; we have our own way of life there and I don’t think we have the right to criticize and judge other societies by our standards. I wanted to understand society here and try to explain it. Every society has its faults but my task is not to change the faults. What I can do is talk about them and the society of which they are a part.
Your original plan was to update “The Kingdom” but now you have decided to write a completely new book. Why?
I originally thought I would update “The Kingdom” by adding some chapters but it soon became clear that so much had changed that a new book was required. “The Kingdom” ends in 1979 which was a watershed for this country and the region. I was living in Jeddah in 1979 when Jehaiman and his followers seized the Grand Mosque and our driver went to Makkah to show his support for the king. That was the final episode in “The Kingdom.” The new book will begin in that year with the events in Makkah, the Iranian revolution and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. A very significant year and the beginning of a new era. My new book will try to tell the story of what happened in Saudi Arabia and the region from that day up to more or less the present.
During this period, one of the most frequently discussed subjects has been women and their role in Saudi Arabia. How do you see the role of women here?
I am only at the beginning of the new book so I can’t really explain what it will say. Nonetheless, I can say that women’s role in society here is one of the most important themes of the book and one which I will examine as carefully as I can. It was good to come back to the Kingdom and see so many working women and it was also good to hear the king talk about the role of women in society.
One thing I have learned is that the West often thinks that women have no role in Saudi Arabia and that is totally wrong. For example, if you want to understand the greatness of the royal family, you need to discover who their mothers were and if you want to understand how powerful a man is, you need to know who his wife is and who his mother and sisters are. When I came to Saudi Arabia, I discovered that women keep the same name throughout their lives; they never adopt their husbands’ names. Only a few Westerners know that Islam guaranteed women’s rights centuries ago and that it demands that women be treated with respect. Remember that 100 years ago, women in Britain and America could not vote and most jobs were closed to them. It has only been in my lifetime that women doing the same job as men receive the same salary.
What are some political changes that you have seen over the last 25 years?
Since “The Kingdom” appeared, one great change has been the establishment of the Shoura Council. I’ve been to a number of its meetings and listened to the king give a speech there. I was impressed by the way the Council scrutinizes government policy and amends it; the program is clearly working and it is one that has grown over the last few years and led to some real changes. I remember meeting a Saudi in London last year and he showed me his voting card with great pride because it gave him the right to vote in the local election. I went recently to the Eastern Province to learn about the chamber of commerce elections. I met the women candidates and their campaign workers who are very hard-working young Saudi men and women. I also went to the voting hall and saw a long line of candidates waiting to shake people’s hands. That is not often done in the West. The whole atmosphere was one of people talking and working and it was very exciting.
Let’s go back to the idea of monarchies for our conclusion. Why do you think some survive and others don’t?
My research on every monarchy — not just the one in Saudi Arabia — shows that royal families are generally great survivors. And they survive and prosper by listening to society. Queen Elizabeth II, who has just celebrated her 80th birthday, was asked once about the end of the monarchy and she answered, “If people want us to go, we will go quietly because the monarchy exists, not for the sake of the family, but for the sake of Britain.” Two years ago when Prince Saud Al-Faisal gave a lecture at Oxford, somebody asked him if Saudi Arabia would ever have a constitutional monarchy. His answer was, “Yes, definitely and I hope that we achieve it more quickly than you did.” England, by the way, existed for centuries before becoming a constitutional monarchy. Here, every member of the royal family that I meet talks about being more transparent and accountable.
